


Dragons and Curses and Kisses (Oh My!)

by MarvelousMenagerie (HiddenOne)



Series: 2018 Stony Fairy Tale Bingo [1]
Category: Avengers Assemble (Cartoon), Marvel
Genre: Fairy Tale Bingo, Fluff, M/M, Steve gets cursed, True Love must save him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-19 16:29:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13708266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenOne/pseuds/MarvelousMenagerie
Summary: When battling a witch, Steve finds himself drawn to a beautiful spinning wheel.Tony hates magic.





	Dragons and Curses and Kisses (Oh My!)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Cap-IM Stony Fairy Tale Bingo square 'sleeping beauty.'
> 
> (also this is my first AA fic, so feel free to let me know if you spot characterization issues!)

“I hate magic.”

Steve sighs. “Yes, Tony. We know.”

Steve doesn’t like magic much, either. Even some of the more futuristic science experiments scare him (and he’s aware of the potential hypocrisy of that statement, but it’s one thing to trust Tony or Erskine and other to trust… everyone else). Still, it isn’t helpful to _say_ so and especially not when they have to fight the witch anyway. They might as well get one with it.

If they could find the witch, that is.

Steve ducks behind his shield as another one of her lizards - and she has so many - breathes fire at him. This lizard has bright, angry red scales and Steve would be tempted to call it a dragon given the lizard’s appearance except that Steve has seen actual dragons. The actual dragons are outside the tower which the rest of the team are battling. Steve and Natasha had slipped inside to hopefully find the witch and stop any escape, but of course now they’re stuck battling an endless line of small lizard versions that _also_ breathe fire.

Yeah, Steve doesn’t like magic much either.

Natasha leaps up, using Steve as a stepping stool. She throws a dagger that gets buried in the lizard’s eye socket, killing it instantly - much faster than trying to cut their thick, scaly hide or for Steve to bash it unconscious. Another lizard down, Steve tells himself, as he steps over it and continues up the endless winding stairs.

Natasha follows, picking up her dagger on the way. With Steve blocking the fire and Natasha striking the killing blow, it’s progress but slow-going. The lizards keep slithering down the stairs - the rasping of their scales and the low torchlight spoiling any surprises - and Steve and Natasha keep disabling and climbing. Without windows, there’s no way to tell how far they’ve gone or how far they’ve yet to go - if they haven’t been spelled to simply remain on the ground floor and made to _think_ they’re climbing up.

“There has to be an elevator. No one takes this many stairs in a day,” Natasha pants.

“If you can find it, I’ll join you,” Steve replies. Even his legs are feeling the burn, and he has the super soldier serum. “Iron Man, can your scans tell us where we are in the tower?”

“Negative, Cap,” Tony replies. “Looks like I’m getting some magical interference, probably something to scramble sensors that are spelled onto the walls since the comms work fine. That’s interesting… but it means I can’t get a read on your position.”

Steve sighs. “Alright. We’ll continue.”

Natasha groans as she stretches out her quads.

“Unless you have another plan?” Steve offers.

“No, but if I’m still climbing stairs in twenty minutes _you_ better have one.”

“Think of what an excellent workout you’re getting,” Tony chimes in. “But as soon as we finish wearing out these dragons, the flyers can come in and carry you the rest of the way. It should be soon...I think.”

“We hear you, Iron Man. Catch up when you can,” Steve says.

“Be careful you two. Sam, watch out for that tail!”

Steve turns to Natasha. “Ready?”

“Lead on, Captain,” Natasha sighs.

They continue up the winding stairs and come across another lizard, then another, then another. Even exhausted, Natasha’s aim is true and they leave the carcasses behind as they climb step after step.

Then, finally, Steve and Natasha run out of stairs. There’s a small, wooden door that swings open easily when Steve tries the handle, and they walk out onto a stone floor covered in a dusty red rug. Steve sighs in relief as he finally takes a step that isn’t _up_.

“Is this the top?” Steve questions as he evaluates what looks like an empty room. He never knows what he’s going to get with magic, but there had to be someplace the lizards were coming from, didn’t there?

Natasha stretches out her legs as she keeps an eye on their exit. “No windows. There could be more staircases behind those doors,” Natasha admits, wrinkling her nose in displeasure at the idea.

There are seven more doors, three on the wall to Steve’s left, three to the right, and then one on the far wall that the carpet leads straight to. There are no labels, of course, and all the doors are the same dark wood that give no hint to what lies behind.

More lizards, Steve guesses.

“Iron Man, we’ve reached what may be the top of the tower. We’ve got seven doors to check out. We’re going to start on the left and work our way clockwise around until we find the witch.”

“Copy that,” Tony confirms. “See you soon, Cap. We’re in the home stretch and we’ll be right behind you.”

“Alright Widow. Let’s try door number one,” Steve says, leading with his shield.

The door is unlocked, and Steve opens it to reveal a small room. At first, Steve thinks it’s empty except for a table, but with the small sliver of light coming through - finally, windows! - Steve notices the apple. A black apple, Steve notes with alarm, though not rotten.

Steve takes a cautious step inside, waving Natasha to stay back at the threshold in case the room is spelled. But nothing happens. No witch, lizard, or other creature jumps out of the shadows to attack.

Steve backs out of the room.

“Door two,” Steve calls out for the rest of the team as they move on.

The next door guards another small room, but this one contains plants. The plants must only be surviving by magic, Steve guesses, because this room is obviously spelled. There is frost on the floor and snow trickles down from a cloud on the ceiling. Despite the wintery weather, though, the spiky flowers shine a bright, healthy purple.

Steve really, really doesn’t like magic.

“What are these?” Steve asks. He steps into the room, again leaving Natasha at the threshold, but nothing, not even the plants, attack him.

“Nothing known to be a poisonous plant,” Natasha offers. “I haven’t seen these before.”

“My aunt is into some crazy flowers,” Sam comments. “Hit me with it.”

“And while Sam is testing his memory, I’ll have JARVIS run a search,” Tony comments.

“Keep your main focus on those dragons. I don’t know if this is important,” Steve warns, but then describes the flowers.

Sam is a negative, but Tony says that JARVIS found several.

“Well, there’s a lot of spiky purple flowers in the world if your aunt is looking to branch out, Falcon,” Tony teases. “But given that we’re dealing with magic, I’m going to go ahead and narrow it down to rampion.”

“Rampion? Like, that plant in Rapunzel, rampion?” Clint asks.

“And we saw a black apple - could be Snow White,” Natasha adds.

“I think the dragons trying to eat us gave away the ‘big bad witch’ profession already, but okay. I’ll admit this is new,” Tony says. “But Hulk has the last dragon in hand, so we’re on our way to you.”

“See you soon,” Steve replies. He turns to Natasha “Wait for backup or door number three?”

Natasha smirks. “Well if they’re slow, they’ll simply miss out.”

Steve laughs. “Alright, here we go then.”

Behind door number three is a spinning wheel. Natasha snorts, but Steve steps into the room just to be sure that the witch isn’t hiding in the corner.

The spinning wheel. He needs to examine the spinning wheel.

Steve walks toward it, lowering his shield.

The spinning wheel shines in the low light from the window, a beautiful black wood polished to perfection. Steve can’t take his eyes off of it. He can’t even be bothered to listen to whatever Natasha is yelling about.

“Cap? Steve!”

Steve stumbles a bit. “Tony?” he asks, a hand going to the comm in his ear.

“Steve come back!” but that’s Natasha, and then Thor is advising him not to touch the wheel and - _the spinning wheel_.

Steve drops the comm out of his ear to prevent any more distractions. The spinning wheel is beautiful, can’t anyone else see that? It deserves his admiration, it deserves to be touched, caressed…

Steve reaches out. The wood is smooth, his gloves gliding over it. He spins the wheel and admires the spokes turning in the low light.

Natasha crashes into him, and Steve stumbles. He shoves her away and grabs the spindle because she can’t touch it, it’s his! The spindle pricks his finger, going right through his glove like the material isn’t even there. The sharp nip of pain escalates, growing and expanding until pain floods Steve’s body - but he can’t open his mouth to scream.

He passes out while hearing the ringing laughter of the witch.

 

_Great love, true love,_   
_With red lips so divine_   
_Their passion must save you_ _  
Or forever you’ll be mine_

 

“Well, he’s alive. At least it’s not ‘eternal death,’ or whatever some tales say,” Tony sighs.

He looks at Steve, lying still on a bed in medical. Steve’s chest barely moves, but at least Steve is breathing on his own. The electrocardiogram displaying Steve’s heart rate beeps steadily, if slow. Tony and Sam have run a battery of tests determining Steve is healthy but unresponsive. The electrodes on Steve’s head, monitoring his brain activity, indicate a coma.

Steve is in a coma because Steve touched a spinning wheel in a witch’s tower. No shaking, shouting, or smelling salts have woken Steve up. Neither injections of adrenaline or minor electrical stimulations have gotten a response either.

Tony _hates_ magic.

“We must only find a way to break the curse and our captain will return to us,” Thor declares.

“Of course!” Tony snaps at him. “Why didn’t _I_ think of that? Oh wait - maybe because we don’t even know what the curse is, much less how to break it!”

“Tony!” Natasha scolds.

“I did not mean to make light of Steven’s problem,” Thor explains.

Tony sighs and rubs his forehead. “Yeah, okay, I’m sorry, Thor. I know you’re trying to help.”

“Uh, I can’t be the only one who read fairy tales as a kid, right?” Sam tentatively voices. “The spinning wheel is Sleeping Beauty, isn’t it? That means Steve needs ‘true love’s kiss!’”

“But Steve isn’t some hidden away prince, and he wasn’t cursed as a child by a witch,” Tony argues. “There are multiple variables that have been modified, and we can’t know what the effects of those will be without further analysis.”

“Well, it won’t hurt to give it a shot, will it?” Sam asks.

Tony turns away. “Who do you think Steve’s true love is? If I have to spend my time building a time machine to transport Peggy Carter here from 1945, then I want to be sure that this ‘true love’s kiss’ idea is going to work.”

“I think we should start with crossing off some of the simplest answers first,” Natasha suggests.

“What wisdom do you speak, Natasha?” Thor asks.

Natasha walks over to Steve’s comatose body. Steve should be _sleeping_ , according to the tale, but the lack of brain activity means Steve is ‘Comatose Beauty’ instead. It has less of a ring to it, Tony admits.

Natasha leans down and kisses Steve on the lips, quick but definite. She stands up. Steve doesn’t even twitch.

Natasha nods, as if that’s what she expected. She turns to the rest of the team, who look as shocked as Tony feels. “I think we can cross off the easy candidates first before you start messing with time streams.” Natasha raises a challenging eyebrow. “Anything to save Steve, right boys?”

Tony looks away.

Clint is the first one to break the silence. “Whatever. How many chances to get you get to kiss Captain America?” Clint walks over and pecks Steve on the lips, whipping back up fast with trepidation on his face. Clint breathes a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing, when he realizes that Steve hasn’t moved. “I don’t think I could handle being Steve’s true love - too much pressure.”

“Perhaps I will be worthy to the task,” Thor boasts as he gently pushes Clint aside. He kisses Steve, a bit showy, Tony critiques, but Steve remains unmoving. “Ah, well, perhaps it ‘tis for the best. We make better shield brothers.”

Sam is next, hesitant but brave.

Nothing.

Then the Hulk lumbers over to lay a smacking kiss on Steve’s forehead.

Still nothing.

The whole group turns to Tony, and Tony shuffles back.

“Alright, well, now that we’ve got that out of the way… Thor, I want you to research any potential curse-breaking from Asgard that might be of use to us. Natasha, start calling any of Steve’s dates that he’s been on in this century, will you? We’ll start with a prioritized list of dates that went well, and then open it up to anyone. Clint, canvas the areas that Steve frequents for anyone you think may have caught Steve’s eye - _Steve’s_ , remember, not yours. Not sure that Steve is the ‘fall in love at first sight’ kind but we’ll get ready just in case. Hulk, get us some food delivered, won’t you? Enough for you and everybody else! And Sam, brush up on your fairy tale knowledge and I’ll let you know when I want your help with modifying an algorithm for breaking the curse,” Tony orders.

“You aren’t going to try, Tony?” Natasha questions.

“Later, maybe, or not,” Tony waves off. “Why don’t you try the shield, actually - who says it has to be a person? I have work to do first.” Tony whirls around and heads for his lab.

True love. Who was Steve’s true love? Sure, Tony had been in love with the man for years, but true love implied that they loved you back, didn’t it? Which means it isn’t Tony, could never be Tony, and rather than confirm it, his time is better spent figuring out how to bring Steve’s true love to the future to break the curse.

Or really, what magical ‘true love’ could wake Steve up from a coma? Surely there must be some scientific solution to this that doesn’t require magic. Steve had the super soldier serum, wouldn’t that help him recover?

Tony gets started, breaking down the typical Sleeping Beauty tale into math that he could use to modify the variables according to Steve’s situation. In parallel, just in case, he pulls up his old files about time travel.

Sam wanders in and out, helping Tony craft the algorithm, forcing food in Tony’s hand, arguing about the medical treatments that have been done for coma patients. Then Sam falls asleep on the couch, and Tony doesn’t realize until suddenly Sam is no longer answering any of his questions.

Tony glances at the monitor that he’s dedicated to monitoring Steve. No change, even hours later.

There is really no use wasting his time, Tony tells himself. It’s not him. He’s better off working in the lab, working on an actual solution to get Steve conscious.

Though, with most of the Avengers probably asleep, this would be the time. Tony wouldn’t be able to stand kissing Steve in front of the other Avengers. He’s not sure what his face will do when he kisses Steve and nothing happens. No one needs to see his disappointment (and how illogical is that - it’s not like Tony believes in ‘true love’ anyway! So why does it matter?), but then he can tell Natasha that he tried so that she won’t pester him.

Tony heads to medbay before he talks himself out of it.

When he makes it to Steve’s side, he hesitates.

This is nothing like Tony ever wanted. To kiss Steve while he’s unconscious? No. But Tony needs to try everything, and while his simulations are running he has time enough for his. He (and Natasha) can then cross it off the list, and then the Avengers can move on.

Tony rests a hand on Steve’s chest. “Come on, Cap. I need you to wake up,” Tony whispers. “If anyone can beat this stupid spell, I’d put all my money on you. True love’s kiss or not. Please...Steve.”

Tony pulls in a shaky breath and then steels himself. He can do this. One quick kiss, and then it’s over. Tony leans down and presses a kiss, quick but sure, on Steve’s forehead.

There. Done. He didn’t -

The electrocardiogram lets out a beep as Steve’s heart rate spikes.

Tony stares. He looks between the readout and Steve’s face, but Steve’s heart rate settles back down and there’s no movement on Steve’s face.

Tony needs more data.

“Please don’t hate me for this,” Tony whispers, and then leans down and kisses Steve again. This time, Tony lays a light kiss on Steve’s lips.

Another beep indicating a spike.

“Oh no,” Tony croaks, his own heart now racing. “Oh no no no no no.”

But Tony can’t ignore this, can’t forget. This might save Steve. _Tony_ might be able to save Steve.

Tony leans down for a longer kiss. He hears the machine broadcast Steve’s increasing heart rate, and Tony keeps kissing. He can feel Steve’s breath, now deeper, against his lips. Steve still has yet to respond, his lips warm but unmoving, but Tony keeps kissing.

Tony grounds his shaking hands on Steve’s chest, fisting the shirt Steve is wearing. Tony pours out all the love, the devotion, the admiration that he’s build up for Steve over the years into his kiss.

Steve’s lips move under Tony’s.

Tony jerks back, startled. He stares, wide-eyed, at the flush on Steve’s face. Steve’s lashes flutter, then finally open to reveal glazed blue eyes.

“Steve?”

Steve blinks, and Tony has a lance of fear shoot through him that _Steve doesn’t remember_ , before Steve’s eyes focus and he smiles. “Tony,” he greets, his voice warm.

Tony sighs, relaxing. Nothing matters as long as Steve is awake. He jerks his hands back from where they were wound in Steve’s clothes.

“Hey there, soldier. Glad you’re awake.”

Steve wrinkles his brow, confused. “What do you mean?” Then Steve sits up. “The wheel! The witch! Tony, I -”

Tony puts his hands on Steve’s shoulders. “Calm down, it’s alright. The witch escaped,” Tony explains. “We were more worried about you. Whatever she did to that spinning wheel put you in a coma until just now.”

“A coma? For how long?” Steve asks, horrified.

“A day. Only a day,” Tony soothes.

Steve slumps back with a sigh of relief.

“Good to have you back, Cap,” Tony says, letting his relief bleed into his voice.

“Hey Tony, did you - Cap? Steve!” Sam exclaims as he rushes into the room. “You’re awake!”

Tony jerks his hands back from where he’d still been holding onto Steve’s shoulders. Steve gives him a smile before he turns to Sam.

“Hey Sam. Glad to be awake,” Steve replies.

“Tony, you broke the curse! How did you do it?” Sam asks, and then before Tony can stop him, Sam uses his comm channel to broadcast to the entire Tower. “Hey guys! Steve’s awake! Tony broke the curse!”

“What curse?” Steve asks, startled, looking to Tony.

Tony ducks his head. “Uh, magic, you know? Spinning wheel, tale of Sleeping Beauty? But really it was, uh, science. I did some science, and you with your super soldier serum did the rest, and boom! You woke up!” Tony tries to explain.

“What? You mean it wasn’t true love’s kiss?” Sam asks. He frowns at Tony, skeptical.

“Uh…” Tony stalls.

“True love’s kiss?” Steve repeats, wide-eyed.

Then the rest of the Avengers are piling into the medbay - Hulk and Thor fighting over who gets to walk in first, Natasha slipping inside in front of them with Clint right behind.

“Steve! You’re awake!”

“Rise and shine! It’s already, like, 4am. Aren’t you missing your morning run?”

“Good to have you back from the land of dreams, shield brother!”

“HULK HAPPY!”

Steve continues to stare at Tony. “Tony? ... what does Sam mean, true love’s kiss?”

“Ah, I see the Man of Iron did indeed know how to break the witch’s curse!” Thor comments.

Natasha hides her glee behind a hand, while Clint doesn’t bother. He bursts out laughing.

“Oh man! _Tony_? Tony is Steve’s true love? That is too funny. Tony and Steve, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” Clint sing-songs.

“It’s how Sleeping Beauty woke up in the fairy tale,” Sam explains, because Tony can’t even begin to look at Steve. Tony can’t even begin to explain. “Her true love, the prince, kissed her. We were, uh, being thorough,” Sam comments, blushing, scratching his head.

Steve raises an eyebrow. “You all kissed me, I take it?”

“HULK KISS,” Hulk announces.

Steve takes that much better than Tony ever would’ve. He nods instead of screams. “Thank you, Hulk,” Steve says. “I’m glad you cared enough to try.”

Steve darts a glance at Tony, and Tony looks away.

“We’re glad you see you awake, Steve,” Natasha says, patting Steve’s shoulder. “Now why we don’t we leave you two to get some peace, yes? I, for one, would like to go _back_ to sleeping.”

“Aw, Nat, but what about the show?” Clint asks as he gestures as Steve and Tony.

“I’m sure we’ll see enough in the weeks to come, Clint. Go to bed,” Natasha orders as she herds him out the door. Sam, Thor, and the Hulk are quick to follow, though Thor throws them both a gusty wink that has Tony rolling his eyes and Steve blushing.

“Well, I mean,” Tony fumbles in the sudden silence, “I know you just woke up, but if you want to get some rest, _actual_ rest, that would be good too, so maybe I’ll just leave you to it, and -”

“Tony,” Steve interrupts, grabbing Tony’s wrist before Tony can move away. “Really? You kissed me, and I woke up?”

Tony bites his lip. “That… both of those things happened, yes,” he admits. “Though it’s too early to tell if there’s any direct correlation or even causation between those events, so I mean, more testing would be needed -”

Steve tugs Tony closer, a smile growing on his face. “I’m not going to get cursed by the witch again just so you can get more data,” Steve teases.

“No! Of course not, I just meant -”

“You woke me up with true love’s kiss.”

“That is full of assumptions that have yet to be confirmed,” Tony argues, the one hand that’s free from Steve’s grip drumming restlessly on his thigh.

“I love you,” Steve says, soft and warm and sure, like it’s _that easy_. “Of course it’s you.”

Tony loses his ability to breathe. “I. W-what? You…”

Steve nods with a flush rising on his cheeks. “I do. I thought… I thought, maybe, one day,” he says softly, his thumb caressing Tony’s hand. Then he clears his throat and tips his head up, “but I don’t want to pressure you. I never did and never _do_ , so nothing needs to change. Tony, you’re my best friend, I would never want to make you uncomfortable, or -”

Steve drops Tony’s hand.

Tony drops onto Steve’s bed to compensate.

“You idiot,” Tony scolds. “I’ve loved you since I met you. Of course I do.”

Maybe Steve is onto something. The words are easier to say out loud than Tony ever would have thought. Sure, he feels like he might have a heart attack and his palms are sweating like crazy, but the words themselves make him feel light enough to fly without the suit, physics be damned.

The smile on Steve’s face, wide enough to burst, makes it all worth it.

And that doesn’t even count the hug, with Steve scooping Tony into his arms. Tony’s hands wind around Steve, and they’re close and pressed together and _Steve loves him_ and _he loves Steve_ and Tony may absolutely hate magic but overall this hasn’t been so bad.

“I love you,” Steve murmurs into Tony’s hair. “I do. How could I not?”

“There is an endless list of reasons to answer that question,” Tony replies, only half-joking.

Steve squeezes him silent, and Tony is content to let it rest. He’d be content to do a lot, wrapped up in Steve like this.

“Tony,” Steve sighs, so full of affection that Tony thinks he could burrow into it.

Tony tilts his head up when Steve doesn’t continue. “Yeah?” he rasps, throat thick. He’s warm, happy, his head buzzing from it and from Steve _loving him back_. Tony would think that Steve has something reality-inducing to say, maybe about the witch they need to hunt down, only the way Steve is looking at him has heat simmering in Tony’s chest.

“Kiss me again?” Steve whispers, lowering his gaze to Tony’s lips.

Tony grins. “As my prince commands.”

Tony kisses Steve. Then he kisses Steve again, and again. He kisses Steve longer, and deeper, and messier, until Steve pants and pleads beneath him for more. And then Tony gives him more, wants to give Steve everything. He tells Steve this, the words falling dangerously easy from his lips.

The electrocardiogram wails, Steve’s heart rate spiking too high.

Steve rips the electrodes off his heaving chest, blushing as Tony collapses from laughter beside him.

“Got your heart racing, yeah? That’s a good sign,” Tony tries to comfort through his chuckles.

Steve pulls Tony closer, into another hug, and Tony doesn’t mind curling into Steve again at all.

“Can we try that again?” Steve asks as his hands roam Tony’s back.

Tony smiles. “How about in my room?” he offers. “Where there’s no cameras, and we can lock the door and head off any more interruptions.”

Steve hums. “I like the sound of that.”

“Good. It’s a plan,” Tony confirms.

Neither of them move. Steve keeps running his hands up and down Tony’s back, and Tony can’t imagine gathering the energy to move from his place pressed up against Steve.

Magic is terrible, but these results he can work with.

Tony falls asleep, warm and content.


End file.
